Heartbeat
by riko-mashi
Summary: Athena and Apollo discuss how their most recent trial went down and their feelings. Takes place after Turnabout for Tomorrow. Chapter 5 spoilers!


Heartbeat

"You two can head on back to the agency. Trucy and I have a few errands to run." Phoenix stated as he, Trucy, Apollo, and Athena exited the main hallway of the District Court.

"Will do, boss!" Athena flashed a smile, happy as ever.

With the aftermath of the trial behind them, everyone at the Wright Anything Agency could rest easy. Both Prosecutor Blackquill and Athena were proven innocent of the two very similar events that took place at the Space Center, one seven years ago and the other somewhat recently. Amidst the hectic courtroom trial, the past was revealed and emotions were going haywire. But that was all over.

Neither of them said much on their way back to the agency.

Apollo unlocked the door and shoved his keys back into his pocket before he collapsed on one of the couches. "I'm beat. That trial was exhausting."

"It really was," Athena paused before sitting down next to him. She suddenly remembered what she felt during the trial towards him, as well as the emotions she had sensed from him. She looked down at her lap as she clutched the hem of her skirt. "Apollo..."

"What is it?" He responded and looked over at her.

Ever since Apollo had doubted Athena's innocence to being the murderer of his best friend, Clay Terran, something else had been troubling him. Naturally, this was obvious to Athena, whose ability granted her skill at detecting others' emotions. Both of them knew something was wrong, but they didn't get the chance to talk about it until now.

"I know you too well. There's no use in hiding it. What's wrong?"

"What, me? No, I'm fine!"

"Yeah? Well your heart says otherwise," Athena huffed. "And your voice cracked just now."

"Okay, maybe I'm not fine. So what?" He crossed his arms.

"So what?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Apollo, you know better than to lie about your feelings! Especially towards me!"

"...I'm sorry about doubting you, Athena... I really am. It's been really difficult. I-I still can't believe he's dead..." Tears began to well up in his eyes, but he couldn't let himself cry yet. Athena was the last person he wanted to cry in front of. He'd hate to make her sad, too.

Athena responded by turning towards him and bringing him into a hug. A bit reluctant at first, Apollo returned the hug, squeezing her a bit tighter and burying his face against her shoulder.

"You're fine. It's okay, Apollo..." His tears rolled down his face, staining Athena's yellow blazer. "You know, I like listening to your heart the most. Especially when you're happy. But I know it's hard. Clay was your best friend. As much as I'd like to see you smile right now, I know it hurts. You're grieving and you've bottled it up for too long now. You're fine."

A few moments of silence passed as Apollo continued to cry. Athena stroked his hair gently as he did so.

"...I'm fine." He spoke almost inaudibly.

"What was that just now?" Athena's features lit up instantly. "Do those chords of steel need a workout?"

"I said, I'm fine!" Apollo looked up and pulled away from the embrace a bit. "I'm Apollo Justice and I'm fine!"

"You're fine!" Athena was yelling as loud as he was.

"We're fine!" They shouted in unison.

Athena was ecstatic. The entire "I'm fine!" bit really did work. She pulled away from the hug only to tackle him against the couch for another embrace. Apollo couldn't help but smile. As she rested her head against his chest, she sighed contentedly. "I really do like listening to your heart the most. Being up close like this is amazing..."

"Thanks, I think." His face flushed. He hoped she couldn't hear his heart nearly skipping a beat.

"I'm sensing that you're extremely happy and..." She trailed off for a brief moment. "Affection? No, it's a bit deeper than that. Love?"

He slipped one of his arms around her. "Maybe it is. I'm not exactly sure myself, but I know you are. That's one thing I can't ever hide from you."

Athena brought herself up to his eye level and kissed him gently. She pulled away before he had the chance to return "I'll take that as a confession. I love you, too." She returned to her previous position, nuzzled against his chest.

He took quite a while to process what had just happened. Apollo blinked a few times in surprise. Did she really...? Well, what was done had already been done. "Um, Athena...?"

No response. She had fallen asleep. However, a soft smile was present on her face. She looked so serene and calm. It was a lot different from how passionate she was in the courtroom at times. It was nice. Apollo didn't have the courage to wake her up. Instead, he dozed off with one thing on his mind. Athena.

"We're back!" Trucy slammed the door open.

"Trucy, cut it out!" Phoenix gestured towards the couch where the two young lawyers had passed out with their arms around each other.

"Sorry!" The magician whispered. She giggled. "This'll be great to blackmail Polly someday." Trucy reached into her magic panties and pulled out a camera. As soon as the shutter clicked, Athena's eyes snapped open.

"Hold it! What do you think you're doing!" Athena got up and began to chase Trucy around the agency. "Delete that picture right now!"

"No way!"

Hearing the noise around him, Apollo sat up in a daze. "What..."

An all too familiar voice was heard, loud and clear. "Hey, you two! No running in my agency!"


End file.
